• Project Type

  Highway Design

• Date

  2024 – Ongoing

• Location

  City of Auburn, New York

• Role

  • Preliminary & Final Design

  • Hydraulic Analysis

  • Topographic and Boundary Survey

To address aging infrastructure and reduce risk of flooding, the City of Auburn advanced the Burgess Street Culvert Replacement along Wood Brook, a regulated tributary within the Owasco Lake watershed. The existing twin corrugated metal arch pipes, built in 1977, had deteriorated beyond repair, causing backfill loss and sinkhole formation.

The site lies within a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area (Zone A). With funding from FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), the City is replacing the culvert. Prudent Engineering, serving as prime consultant, led the design of a more resilient, hydraulically sound structure that meets modern standards.
The new culvert was designed as a reinforced concrete box structure with a buried invert to preserve the natural streambed. Design services included hydraulic analysis, topographic and boundary survey, and preliminary and final design. New concrete headwalls, fencing, and culvert wingwalls were incorporated, along with utility coordination, erosion and sediment control plans, and detailed structural components such as end treatments and closure pours. Given the site's shallow depth, the culvert was designed for open cut installation using precast apron units, cutoff walls, and cast-in-place modifications.
All design work conformed to AASHTO LRFD and the NYSDOT Highway Design Manual to ensure lasting performance of this vital stormwater crossing.